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Social Inclusion

With 800,000 people in poverty, record numbers on healthcare waiting lists and more than 3,800 children homeless, Ireland is a profoundly unequal place. Inequality hurts the economy, leading to unstable economic growth and employment, higher debt, housing bubbles and increased homelessness. Substantial evidence has emerged in recent years to support the view that economies and societies perform better across a number of different metrics, from better health to lower crime rates, where there is less inequality.

Some Reflections on Inequality in Ireland’ is part of Social Justice Ireland’s Policy Research Series. It reflects on the reality of equality and the myths that enable its persistence. It looks at inequality in economics and the ideologies in public policy that have produced the present unequal situation across the world.

Social Justice Ireland’s annual Socio-Economic Review is entitled Social Justice Matters. This book is about charting a course to a better Ireland. At the foundation of that is how we raise taxes and how much tax we raise.

31 per cent of working-age people with a disability are employed, which is less than half the rate of those without a disability, according to Social Justice Ireland’s latest Quarterly Employment Monitor.

Social Justice Ireland's recent book entitled Basic Income: Radical Utopia or Practical Solution? has received an award for original work in Irish Fiscal Policy from Ireland's Foundation for Fiscal Studies, Fiscal.ie.

Social Justice Ireland’s annual Socio-Economic Review is entitled 'A New Social Contract for a New Century'. This review argues that Ireland's present social contract is broken and that 2017 is the perfect opportunity to develop a new and radical social contract for Ireland’s second century.

Ireland is making poor progress when ranked against the other 14 countries in the EU-15. The new Sustainable Progress Index, published by Social Justice Ireland to mark UN World Social Justice Day, February 20, 2017, shows the scale of the challenge facing Ireland under the headings of economy, society and environment.

The National Social Monitor is Social Justice Ireland’s annual contribution to the public debate that is needed on Ireland’s future and how Ireland is performing in terms of promoting the wellbeing of all in society.

Europe: A Union for the Powerless as well as the Powerful? Review of the Social Situation in Europe and Considerations for a More Sustainable and Inclusive Future is the fourth report in Social Justice Ireland's European Research Series. This report adresses a series of key issues including unemployment, social investment, taxation and poverty and social exclusion across the EU 28 member states. The report identifies key trends and makes policy proposals in key areas.

As part of our Socio-Economic Review 2015 'Towards a Just Society' Social Justice Ireland sets out its views on how Ireland can ensure the future does not repeat the mistakes of the past. It sets out a guiding vision for a just society and a policy framework that would deliver a just future for all. This policy framework is available below.